Key Takeaways
- Arsenal returned to the top of the Premier League with a 1-0 win over Newcastle United at the Emirates Stadium
- Mikel Arteta criticised officials for failing to send off Nick Pope and referenced a similar incident involving Manchester City’s Abdukodir Khusanov
- The Gunners face Atletico Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final on Wednesday
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has strongly criticised refereeing decisions after his team secured a 1-0 victory against Newcastle United on Saturday. The result sent the Gunners three points clear at the top of the Premier League table, though they have played one match more than Manchester City.
Arteta focused his anger on two separate incidents where opposition players avoided red cards. During Saturday’s match, Newcastle goalkeeper Nick Pope received only a yellow card for fouling Arsenal substitute Viktor Gyökeres outside the penalty area in the 74th minute. Gyökeres was running towards an empty goal when the collision occurred.
“I have watched football for many years,” Arteta stated. “If you look at the direction of the ball, there is no goalkeeper there. It is a red card. If that situation happened the other way around, we would have seen a red card.”
The Arsenal boss also complained about last weekend’s 2-1 defeat at Manchester City. He insisted that City defender Abdukodir Khusanov should have been sent off for a last-man foul on Kai Havertz when the score was level at 1-1. Khusanov escaped with only a foul, and City went on to win the match.
Arteta believes the title race would look different if City had been reduced to ten men. “Everything would be different for us,” he said.
The decisive goal came early in the match from a cleverly worked short corner. The Emirates crowd had groaned when Arsenal played two previous corners short, but the players showed courage to try the tactic a third time successfully.
“When teams defend with such physicality, you must find other ways to attack,” Arteta explained. “I love the courage of the players. When the pressure is on and the crowd reacts, the players still make the right decisions. That is exactly what I want from this team.”
With Arsenal chasing their first league title since 2004, Arteta accepted there would be more tension ahead. “I do not expect an easy path with beautiful music after 22 years without winning the league,” he said. “There will be difficulties, and we are ready for them.”
Kai Havertz and the goalscorer both left the pitch with minor muscle problems. However, Arteta does not think the injuries are serious. Arsenal travel to Spain on Wednesday for the first leg of their Champions League semi-final against Atletico Madrid. “We must wait and see if they can play on Wednesday, but we do not think it is too bad,” Arteta added.